Night Flower
by Sergeant Sargent II
Summary: Lilly goes lone wolf. This is the chronicle of her adventures.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:**

**I have wanted to write a lone wolf story for a while, but haven't been sure where I wanted to go with it. I had this idea about a week ago and decided to try it. The Humphrey/Kate pairing is nice, but it's been beaten to death. I honestly like the Humphrey/Lilly pairing too, but dang near every story in this archive seems to focus on pairings and romance. [I could go on a rant about how overemphasis on romance has damaged many of my favorite stories, but that belongs somewhere else. Suffice it to say that this story will not focus on romance except as the initial motivating conflict. And conflicting it shall be.] And, there are a number of Humphrey the Loner stories already. So, here's one for Lilly.**

** I don't have any kind of a plan for this story. I intend to write new adventures as I think of them. There are enough dangling things in these prologue chapters to give me something to work with if I ever decide to give this story a more purposeful plot. So, if anyone has any ideas for an adventure Lilly should go on, or something they would like to see happen that fits with this story, leave it in a review or PM. I'll be quite grateful for the ideas. **

** I may also use this story to briefly test out OC personalities, so expect Lilly to encounter some interesting folks in her travels. **

** Without further adieu, enjoy…**

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A waning crescent moon shone over Howling Peak, casting only the faintest illumination over the nearly deserted stones, but even this minimal light was enough to shine brilliantly on the snow white fur of the wolf who sat a solitary vigil over the valley she called home. The silence was broken by a slow, rolling crunch as the white wolf crushed a fat pinecone beneath her paw, rolling it back and forth and feeling the seeds it held give way and break as she slowly pulverized the thing.

It was two weeks since the wedding, where Kate and Garth had joined the packs through a political union. A howl had been held that night to celebrate the marriage, but not everyone was so overjoyed. War had been averted, barely, and under united leadership, both packs would be able to make better use of the valley's resources, but for some, peace had come at a price.

The new couple had ascended to the top of the peak, but both had refrained from howling, or joining in the festivities. They sat regally, watching over their new subordinates in silence until everyone returned home. Since both packs still lived in separate camps, Garth had gone to oversee his packmates, and Kate hers. Humphrey was absent from both the wedding and the howl, and no one seemed to have any idea where he'd gone.

The following day, a party from each pack met to decide how best to handle the joining of the two camps. Kate and Garth led the proceedings, accompanied by Eve, Winston, Hutch, Tony, and his second in command, an alpha named Rhent, as well as several top alphas from both packs. They eventually decided to build a whole new campsite on the eastern slope of the valley. Both packs put their alphas to work immediately, building temporary dens and clearing the chosen site of brush and debris. The omegas from both packs had had their work cut out for them in keeping the former rivals from tearing each other's throats out.

Kate and Garth had made a deliberate show of patrolling the work together to give instructions.

Lilly inhaled sharply and lifted her paw. One of the pointed pinecone seeds had stabbed her paw. She reached down with her teeth and carefully removed it, wincing.

Lilly had backed away from the wedding as the crowd cheered, and used the noise of the celebration to hide her sobbing as she fled into the trees. She had gone to a place near the western edge of her pack's territory, and spent the night alone, weeping, sleepless. Lilly had kept to herself these past two weeks. She was seldom able to sleep, and soon found herself sleeping in remote caves during the day and wandering the territory alone at night.

All because she was an omega, Garth was with her sister. Before the wedding, Lilly had even known Garth longer. But no, the good of the packs had to come first. Pack law had to come first. And there was nothing a weak, useless little omega could do about it.

Her paw hurt. Lost in thought, she had driven the spine on the seed deep into one of her pads. She looked at the blood now dripping from it in disgust. Such a wound would be nothing to an alpha, not even worth blinking at, but she now limped slightly as she turned to begin the long walk back to the new camp.

Her white fur all but glowed, reflecting every scrap of dim moonlight that filtered down through the dark forest, giving her an ethereal, haunting appearance. Ever since the wedding, Lilly had kept to herself. She left the business of sorting out the many disputes to the other omegas. She had never been particularly good at it anyway, being so soft spoken and timid.

She paused for a moment to examine her injured paw again.

_Timid. Weak. Useless_. She couldn't even cope with a tiny cut in her pad.

Feeling suddenly wrathful, Lilly lashed out with her injured paw at a nearby pinetree, clawing a gash in the bark and doing still more damage to her paw. Lilly gasped at the pain, but it only infuriated her more.

_Weak! Useless!_

She struck the tree again, and then a third time, leaving blood on the tree. At last she stopped, and collapsed sobbing, cradling her hurt paw.

_Weak…_

If only she had been an alpha, had loved to fight and hunt and dominate like her sister, instead of always backing down, retreating, letting others rule her life whenever there was danger or trouble. If she were not the weak one, she could have been the one with Garth now. If only she had been an alpha.

_Weak…_

Lilly sat up. If only she had been an alpha… Then and there, she made her decision. She was tired of being weak. Tired of being last, helpless, unable to fight for what she loved. For _who _she loved.

Lilly got to her feet with determination and began walking again, deliberately keeping her steps even. She would not limp. She would not be weak any more. In the morning, she would go to her father. Kate and Garth were the leaders, but they would still cave to Winston's wishes, and he would cave to Eve, who would surely support her even if her father didn't. She would demand to be trained as an alpha.

It was too late for her to ever be with Garth, but she would never let her own weakness get in the way again. She would not be weak.

* * *

Winston's reaction was predictable. He was surprised, doubtful. He tried to talk her out of it, and told her she would be able to move on eventually. Eve was more helpful. She knew and understood her daughters better. For a while, she said nothing, but eventually she put a paw on her husband's shoulder, silencing him.

"Winston, dear," she said softly, "If this is what Lilly thinks is best than I'm sure she can handle it." She gave her daughter a careful look. "Once you are an alpha," she went on, addressing her daughter now, "There is no going back. You will have responsibilities, duties, and expectations to uphold. It is a very different life. Is that what you really want?"

Lilly returned her gaze with a hard stare of her own. "I'm tired of just being a weak little omega. I don't want to be the weak one anymore."

Eve nodded. She couldn't pretend that she wasn't worried. She loved her daughter regardless, and had actually always admired and enjoyed Lilly's kind and loving nature, but something had changed. She knew perfectly well what it was, but knew better than to say it aloud. She would explain the whole thing to Winston later. Eve could tell from the look in her daughter's eyes and the set of her shoulders that she would not be dissuaded. She also couldn't help feeling a twinge of pride in her daughter's choice.

Winston gave a heavy sigh. "You're sure about this?" he asked.

Lilly didn't flinch. "Yes."

"Then I'll take you out to begin the training this evening. Alpha training normally takes place in the fall and winter, but no matter. We can start now."

"Winston," Eve interjected, "Perhaps someone else should handle the training." Kate's personality was naturally tough and aggressive. Training her had been natural and fun for both Winston and his daughter. Eve had complete confidence that Lilly would be able to handle the training, but Winston had always viewed Lilly as the more delicate one. Eve knew that Winston would have trouble putting Lilly through the necessary rigors of alpha training. To do this properly, Lilly would have to be taught by someone else.

Winston understood immediately. "Well," he said, "I could ask Hutch to do it. Can-do is perfectly capable of filling in as second in command."

"Just as long as Kate and Garth allow him to leave," Eve added. No one would dare disobey Winston, but he wasn't leader anymore, and often forgot it.

He closed his eyes, clearly giving himself a mental kicking. "I'll talk to them. If it all works out, Lilly and Hutch can leave in the morning."

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**Kindly leave reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

Night Flower 2

**Author's Note:**

**Lilly's threat was inspired by Hancock's only fight in prison. Never make idle threats, my friends.**

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"Hutch! You're back! But what on earth took you so long? And where is Lilly?" Winston ran to his old second in command. Hutch looked tired, as if he had spent several days traveling hard, but there was a faint smile on his face.

"Lilly's fine, sir. She insisted on going on her first hunt right away. I already told Garth and Kate. They're on their way to the valley to watch."

"Then she passed?"

Hutch's grin broadened. "With flying colors, sir."

Winston frowned, confused. "Then what took the two of you so long?" It was springtime, when alpha training normally ended, but Hutch and Lilly had set out the previous spring, meaning they had taken fully twice the usual amount of time. It was not unheard of for a new alpha's training to run long, but it was usually a bad sign, meaning the student needed extra work to achieve the expected level of expertise.

"It took longer than usual to get her in shape and conditioned before we really started working on alpha skills, so we were almost a month late anyway. There were a few things we hadn't gotten to that most alphas pick up from their peers, but Lilly insisted on learning them right away. From there, we kind of got carried away, since we were late anyway. By the end of it, she even taught me some things. That girl of yours is impressive. She takes after her mother more than you realize," Hutch finished, still smiling. "Come on. You wouldn't want to miss her first hunt."

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When Winston, Eve, and Hutch reached the ridge overlooking the valley, Kate, Garth, and Can-do were already there, looking intently down on the herd of caribou grazing peacefully amid the tall grass at the valley floor. The grass had only just started to grow after the long winter, so the valley floor was a sea of tan stalks rippling in the breeze.

"Where is she, Hutch? You said she would be hunting already. And why is she alone? No alpha is supposed to hunt without backup. Caribou may be skittish, but they can kill a wolf easily."

Winston snapped his head around to look questioningly at Hutch. "She's hunting alone?"

"Lilly is quite aware of the danger and has no intention of letting her prey trample her, sir," Hutch answered, though whether he was addressing Garth or Winston remained unclear. Something seemed to catch his eye. "I think it would be a good idea to keep an eye on that one," he said, indicating one of the caribou grazing apart from the rest.

"That one?" Kate said incredulously. "Come on, Hutch. That's the biggest bull in the herd!"

Hutch said nothing. The bull began wandering eastward in search of any early shoots of green grass.

Suddenly, there was a flash of movement in the grass at the bull's feet and its back left leg buckled as if one if the critical tendons had been severed. The animal bellowed in pain and surprise, then toppled to the ground. There was a second flash of movement and the caribou was suddenly bleeding a river of blood from a gash in its throat. Its struggles grew weaker until finally, it was still.

The wolves watching stared at the scene in confusion. Lilly was nowhere to be seen and none of them had caught even a glimpse of white fur. Normally, alphas hunted in teams of three. Two would sneak around behind one of the smaller and weaker members of the herd and try to spook it and herd their target away from its fellows toward the third wolf, lying in wait. The last wolf would go for the throat or the hamstring as the target passed.

"Hutch? Where is she?" Garth asked.

Hutch was _still_ smiling. "Just wait."

Five minutes later, everyone was beginning to get agitated when a voice spoke behind them. "Is anyone going to help me haul this caribou? I'm good, but I can't drag the thing by myself."

Everyone but Hutch jumped, and spun around. There, standing proudly after sneaking up on them _all_ was… Lilly?

It was Lilly alright, but it looked nothing like her. Her fur was the same tan as the dead grass in the valley, coated in mud and dust to hide the blindingly white fur that would have made her recent feat of stealth impossible otherwise.

Winston grinned at his daughter and ran to embrace her. "Welcome back, Lilly."

* * *

It was not so simple as that, however.

While Lilly and Hutch had been gone, the packs had moved into the new campsite and settled in nicely. After a year of living and working together, they were finally starting to work like a single cohesive unit as pack distinctions slowly faded.

No one had seen or heard from Humphrey the omega since the day of the wedding.

Lilly joined in her alpha duties wholeheartedly, but soon found that she didn't much care for the other alphas. They weren't all bad, but in general they lived differently. Everything they did was about rank order and dominance. They always had to be first to eat, or the leader of the hunting parties or patrols. They fought and wrestled at every possible opportunity, which served multiple purposes. It honed their fighting skills to perfection, and allowed them to vent excess aggression while establishing a totem pole of superiority. They weren't necessarily unfriendly, but pack order could never be forgotten.

Lilly, for her part, was quite content to eat last among the alphas and let the others bicker and squabble about who got to lead the hunting party, but she still outdid many of them on a regular basis. Often, when the leader of a hunting party missed the killing blow, Lilly was either able to make it instead, or bring down one of the other spooked caribou unaided. In practice drills, she was the best at stalking unseen, and respectably talented in combat and tracking. She couldn't match the senior alphas of course, but only for lack of experience. In training fights, she could beat more than half of the other alphas.

This became a problem. She never challenged the other alphas, and so she always ate last, and was essentially the omega of the group. She simply had no interest in the kind of squabbles over dominance that the other alphas lived for. She knew her own abilities and saw no reason she should have to prove them to any of these hotheaded dogs. This put her at the bottom of their totem pole.

It was as good as an insult therefore, when she outperformed the others, who considered her an inferior because she always preferred to yield rather than fight. They found it embarrassing to be outdone by an inferior. Naturally, many of them hated her.

Those already inclined to be bullies were even worse. They soon discovered the only thing that seemed to truly anger her. From the start, they had mocked her method of painting her blindingly white coat in mud whenever she went hunting, but this did little to bother her. It was practical, and it worked. If they thought it odd, that was their problem.

However, it did not go unnoticed that Lilly avoided going near the pack leaders if at all possible. She would only do so on direct orders from one of the senior alphas when she was told to make a report for the hunting party or carry a message. It didn't take a genius to draw one of two conclusions.

Kate was her sister, so there must surely be some jealousy there, they reasoned. When taunts to this effect did little to bother her, they discovered her true sore point.

Many among the eastern pack had been present when Tony and a group of alphas discovered her howling with Garth that night before Kate returned. They put two and two together and realized the real reason for her sudden decision to become an alpha.

As their taunting and bullying went on, one of them eventually coined the nickname "Cinderella" after her rise from omega rank, and her hopeless bid to win the heart of the "prince" before her sister snatched him away.

One night as all the alphas gathered before going to sleep for the night, she finally snapped.

"Hey, Cinderella, your crush is right up there in the leaders den! You should go talk to him. Maybe he'll run away with you after all!"

Lilly kept her face straight, but dug her claws into the earth. Hutch had taught her discipline. She would not give them the satisfaction of letting them see how deep that remark had cut.

One of the others tried next. "Quit eggin' her on, Eddy, it's hopeless. Who'd leave that pretty red furred tail for muddy ol' Cinderella here."

"Must really suck, losin' to her own sister."

"Yeah, but who'd believe the two of 'em were even related? I mean, Kate's the dazzling pretty gold furred alpha, and Cinderella the omega over here looks like she lost a fight with a snow storm until she dirties up that fur."

For the first time in her life, Lilly was truly angry. But hers was a cold hate born of long suffering, of a hurt buried for over a year. Now, she couldn't stand it any longer. As an omega, she had been helpless. She could only run away, or match wit with wit to try and soothe tensions. But there were no words to be had here, and she had no desire to settle this nicely. For the first time in her life, Lilly wanted to make her tormentors pay. Now that she was an alpha, she could do that. It was an empowering feeling.

In a voice so like her mother that she silenced the clearing, Lilly said, "Call me Cinderella, one more time, and the one who says it will eat his own tail."

Her words were met with silence. She didn't look angry. In fact, she was smiling sweetly. But something in her eyes was a warning to all of them. The ones doing the taunting couldn't back down now though, not without losing face in front of everyone.

The first one to speak, Eddy, got slowly to his feet. His gaze was wary, calculating. "Well, would ya look at this," he said thoughtfully. "I think we finally made the little omega angry! I think she wants to fight me!" Eddy grinned. "I think _Cinderella_'s really gonna _fight!_"

Lilly smiled sweetly…

* * *

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Kate exclaimed.

Hutch stood before her in the alphas den the following morning to explain what had happened. "In her defense, Eddy earned it. They provoked her, she warned them, and he asked for it."

"Then why didn't you stop them?!"

Hutch let out a pained sigh. "She's an alpha now Kate. She has to solve her own problems. You ought to know what they're like. If I had stepped in, it would only have made the problem worse. She might actually have solved it. If she can force them to respect her, she won't have this problem anymore."

"You're defending her? After she did _that_ to a _packmate?_"

"You didn't hear them."

Garth stood awkwardly to one side, knowing exactly what part he played in all this.

"It doesn't matter! This goes way beyond a fight over dominance. She can't just go around maiming her packmates whenever they make her angry!" Kate shouted in growing exasperation.

"And why not?" Eve strode forcefully into the den. "From what I hear, she made her threat very clearly, and then chose to make good on her word. I'm actually quite proud of her. Never make idle threats. It severs no purpose."

Winston came in after her. "Nevertheless,she cannot just be forgiven. I'm on her side too, but discipline must be upheld.

Kate dropped her head into one paw. _Since when did this become a democracy?_

* * *

An Hour later, Kate had, with absolutely no help from Garth, cleared everyone but her and Garth out of the den and dispatched Hutch to bring Lilly up to the leaders den.

Lilly walked in with a blank expression and sat, looking her sister calmly in the eye and stoically ignoring Garth.

Kate sighed. "Dammit, Lilly." For a moment no one said anything. "I can't just let you get away with permanently maiming a packmate, Lilly." Still, Lilly said nothing. "Are you even listening? You're an alpha now! You're expected to have better self control!"

"Eddy deserved what he got. Maybe he can learn some self control himself. Next time he opens his mouth, maybe he'll remember the taste of his tail."

"Lilly, there is no place in a pack for a wolf who can't live without doing _that _to her own comrades! Lilly!"

Lilly was starring down at her paws.

_No place in a pack… _

"Maybe you're right, sis," Lilly muttered, looking her sister in the eye again. "Maybe I don't belong here." With that, she turned and strode toward the mouth of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Kate spat after her.

Lilly spun back to face her sister. There was hate in her gaze so cold Kate actually took a step back. "You said it yourself," Lilly answered softly, with a fleeting glance at Garth. "There's no place for me here."

"What will you do, Lilly? Go lonewolf like Humphrey?" Kate's voice cracked, and just for an instant, Lilly saw in her sister's eyes the same pain that haunted her. "He's probably dead by now. And you're an alpha, Lilly. If you leave, you're a deserter. If you come back, you'll be executed. It's pack law."

Lilly's lip twitched in a hint of a snarl. "Pack law," she breathed, almost too quietly to hear. Then she turned and made again to leave.

Just before she reached the mouth of the cave, Garth spoke for the first time. "Lilly," he said, "…I'm sorry."

Lilly closed her eyes, but didn't turn around. "Me too," she whispered. Then she was gone.

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**Review, wonderful readers, review!**

**Later! -Sarge**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

**So, I was bored today and I came up with this character I just had to write. So, Lilly is going to meet a crazy raven.**

**And why not a rainstorm? Lonely characters always get a rainstorm to keep them company.**

**I didn't start out intending to reference Poe's "The Raven" but it worked and this is pretty close to the voice I had in mind: WWW . youtube [dot com] [slash] watch?v=WcqPQXqQXzI (Remove all the spaces, write what the brackets say.) **

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Lilly stood at the lip of the valley. She allowed herself one last look at her home, then turned and strode into the forest, heading north.

Lilly felt numb. She no longer had a home. She knew it, but somehow it just didn't register. So, she walked on.

Sometime around noon, Lilly caught the scent of a rabbit and stalked the small animal until she caught up to her prey. Rabbits were hard to sneak up on. She got within ten yards before the animal pricked up its long ears and then bolted. Lilly ran it down and killed it with a swift bite to the neck.

At first, she had hated hunting. She hated seeing the fear in the eyes of her prey as they realized they would die. She had had to get over this quickly during her alpha training. As Hutch had explained to her, everything had to eat, and everything that eats eats something else. Now, she simply made sure to kill her prey as efficiently as possible while ignoring that twinge of pity for her helpless target.

Lilly stopped in a clearing to eat her kill and ponder her next move. _Always know the objective,_ _and never lose focus, _Hutch had taught her. _Whatever you do, make sure every move you make brings you one step closer to that objective._ What was her objective then? Where did she go from here? What did a lone wolf do from day to day anyway?

Lilly glanced up and spotted rain clouds in the distance. _Well, shelter for the night is as good a start as any._ With that she cleaned the rabbit blood from her fur and moved on, picking up her pace in the hopes of finding a cave before the storm hit.

The storm broke just as darkness settled. Lilly trudged doggedly on.

The night was black except for occasional flashes of lightning that kept blinding her just as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. So, she tried a trick Hutch had told her about that even most alphas didn't know. As she walked, Lilly kept one eye closed. When the next flash of lightning left spots in her eyes from the sudden brightness, she switched eyes. The closed eye, protected from the light, could still see in the darkness. She then closed the first eye to let it recover from the flash. The next time lightning flashed, she switched back again.

The pines did little to shelter her from the pelting rain. Soon, all the mud and dust on her fur had washed away, revealing her gleaming white pelt once more.

A half hour later, another flash of lightning illuminated the mouth of a cave further up the mountain. Lilly made for it immediately. When she reached the cave, though, she stopped, and took a careful sniff around the entrance. It didn't seem to be occupied. A bear had stayed here once, but it was long gone. The smell of birds was stronger, but that didn't worry her. Lilly entered the cave cautiously anyway and examined her new shelter. The cave stretched back several yards, but narrowed to a mere crack in the rock barely big enough for a rabbit to fit through.

Satisfied that she was alone, Lilly shook the rainwater from her coat and circled, about to lie down. When a voice spoke from the back of the cave, she nearly leapt out of her skin.

"Poorly played is hide and seek, with whitest fur in black the night." Lilly spun to face the noise, dropping into a fighting crouch and scanning to find the speaker. The voice had been a low croak that sounded as if each word had been chewed thoroughly before it was uttered.

There was a soft clicking sound as a jet black raven stepped forward from the crack in the back of the cave. It turned its head to examine her better. "Never mind her funny fur, craven says, she's an intruder in our cave, he thinks. Let us ask her then, methinks."

Lilly rose out of her aggressive stance, but stayed alert just the same. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in here. I was just trying to get out of the rain. Can I just share this cave until morning?"

"Ha!" the raven uttered a harsh bark that might have been laughter. "Yore is amused. The one with teeth asks as though we may choose. She'll kill and eat us, Craven thinks. After all, she blocks the exit, Quoth agrees. She came tapping just before we meant to sleep."

"No, no, I won't eat you!" Lilly exclaimed. Then she paused. Why wouldn't she eat this bird? She ate caribou and rabbits. How was he any different? No, she decided, something just seemed wrong about intruding on his cave and then eating him too. Also, having had a conversation with him would make eating him seem more like murder and Lilly was sure she wouldn't be able to stomach it. Besides, she had caught a blue bird once and had a terrible time of eating the thing. She'd spent the next week getting all the feathers out of her teeth.

"Peace then, Craven, she means us no harm. Lies, says craven, she lies with her eyes. Quiet, foul Craven, she tells us no lies. Yore says welcome, forgive our alarm. Quoth is grateful she means no harm. Craven still fears her, uses names she shant hear. For the last time, Craven, be silent a time."

Lilly tilted her head in confusion. The crazy old fowl seemed to be arguing with himself. His words were like a commentary on and argument with at least three separate speakers. "Um," she said uncertainly, "I'm Lilly. What's your name?"

"Mmmm, names, names… hers is a flower, and a fitting one too. Many names, but you may call us Nevermore."

"Us?" Lilly repeated questioningly.

"Us," the raven agreed.

Lilly looked carefully around the cave and listened hard, but the raven was the only other soul present. "Is… is anyone else in here with us?"

"Only Nevermore and Lilly flower here tonight. Others here. You see? She tricks us, Craven scorns. No, she doesn't know. Only one in her head, reasons Yore."

Lilly stared at the bird in fascination. _Well… maybe he was arguing with himself…_ "How many of you are in there?" she asked.

"Mmm, names, names, five names make Nevermore." Still giving her that strange sideways stare, the raven intoned, "Nepenthe sleeps, Quoth speaks, Yore rhymes, and Craven creeps. Nero in his anger steeps." As he finished, the bird turned his head to look at her with both eyes and Lilly realized he had the other closed. The second eye fluttered open now and seemed to move independently of the other. Eventually, it fixed on her. "There is a wolf in the cave. Why did no one wake me? Sleep Nepenthe, she means no harm. What does she call herself? Mmm, name, just one name, Lilly flower in our cave tonight. If Night Flower means no harm, then I will sleep. Sleep, Nepenthe. She came tapping, tapping, because the rain was tapping too. Mmm…" With that, the other eye fluttered closed again and stayed that way. The raven gazed at her through only one eye once more.

"So, who's Nero?" Lilly asked hesitantly.

"Mmm, names, names. The pious human called us Legion once. We laughed at him for mighty warriors we must be to be a legion just we three."

"But… you said there were five of you?"

"Mmm, Flower speaks the truth, Quoth thinks. Us four we be, not just we three. Yore's rhyming weakens, Craven thinks. Yore is indignant. Nepethe sleeps. Just three we be."

"But what about the last one? The one you called Nero?"

Nevermore was silent for a moment. "Nero likes to burn things. We don't let Nero out much. He doesn't like to share once his cage is open, free to rage. He's very angry, flower friend, and doesn't give in until Nepenthe puts him back again."

"Oh…"

"Fear not, flower friend. Much time yet before he slips his cage again."

"Ah… good…" Lilly said, a bit perplexed. "Do you always talk in rhymes?"

"No. Quoth speaks, and Yore makes rhymes. Yore likes rhyming and Quoth likes his rhymes. It gets rather lonesome with only us in our head, so we speak rhymes to pass the time. But if Yore does not rhyme, then Quoth speaks only words, not rhymes. Craven says swear words to pass the time. He doesn't like rhymes, but we like to rhyme so we rhyme louder inside to drown out the swear words he cries when we rhyme." Then the bird yawned, clicking his beak with finality. "Time to sleep. Craven can have peace at last." Nevermore flapped to the top of a boulder near one wall of the cave.

Lilly made her way to the opposite wall and curled up with her back against it. She pointed one ear toward the mouth of the cave, and eyed Nevermore warily. If he decided to peck her throat out while she sleapt, that beak would certainly do the job. Lilly decided to trust him though. He was insane, but he didn't seem violent. Then again, he was insane…

"Sleep now, Lilly friend. Nepenthe keeps the nighttime watch." Then the raven then closed his one open eye, and opened the one he'd been keeping closed.

"So… you're Nepenthe?" Lilly asked.

"Yes, I am Nepenthe. Sleep now, Night Flower. I will keep watch."

As Lilly closed her eyes and tried to sleep, she could hear Nepenthe singing softly. What a strange friend she'd made. The tune sounded like a lullaby. Just as she finally drifted off to sleep, Lilly thought she caught a few of the words.

"_So keep thy vigil, till the light,_

_Ye watcher of the night."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

**Sup readers!**

**Special thanks to all those who reviewed. Y'all are awesome!**

**To all of you following this, here's what I've got so far. This chapter was supposed to get further, but this was a good place to break it off and I figured you would appreciate the update. Enjoy!**

**Please pardon the minor cussing. It flowed poetically. If you're offended by it, sorry.**

**And now…**

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"

Lilly woke, as was the ingrained habit of all alphas, just before dawn. She opened her eyes without moving, and made sure to keep her breathing even. She scanned the cave with her eyes, having lain down to sleep in a spot that allowed her to see the whole interior without moving more than that. She located Nevermore, still sitting on the same perch as before and watching her through one eye. Satisfied that she was still safe and nothing had changed, Lilly rose and stretched, then strode to the mouth of the cave to watch the sunrise and make a plan for the day. The first lightening of the sky could already be seen over the trees.

The ruffle of feathers and the quiet click of talon on stone told her that Nevermore had fluttered from his boulder and walked out to join her.

Lilly wanted to get as far from Jasper as possible. She had chosen to run, so she may as well be serious about it. She remembered that Kate and Humphrey had used a train to travel from Idaho back to Jasper. Perhaps she could do the same leaving it.

"Nevermore?" she asked, "Are there any trains that pass near here that I would be able to hitch a ride on?"

"Where would you wish to go, Night Flower?"

Lilly thought for a moment. _Always remember your objective. Never lose focus. _What was her objective then? Distance. Leave Jasper behind and… what? Start over? Find a new pack? Find a territory and live out her days as a lone wolf? _I'll figure that out as I go. One step at a time. "_East," she decided. "I'll head east and see what I can find."

"Then there is a track some two days north of here as the wolf walks. It runs west to east. Simply continue north until you reach it."

"Two days? What about as the wolf runs?"

Nevermore tilted his head, thinking. "Less than half a day as the raven flies on a lazy day. Perhaps a bit more for a wolf who ran without stopping along the ridge top."

"Just over half a day it is. Thank you, Nevermore. Or should I call you Nepenthe?"

The raven eyed her unreadably. "Mmm, names, names," he muttered. "Be off with the dawn Night Flower. I think I shall be also, if you would have my company. Long enough in caves for now, I think."

Lilly considered this for a moment. She had no objection to letting the raven travel with her. Besides, he seemed to know the land far better than she, and having a guide could only be a good thing.

"Alright," she said. "Let's get going then."With that, Lilly set off heading north. Behind her, she heard Nevermore take flight and soar off into the morning to follow her overhead. She usually couldn't see him, except for occasional glimpses through the tree tops.

Lilly soon broke into a run, accelerating to a near sprint and barreling hectically through the trees. She amused herself as she went by leaping over logs, boulders, or other obstacles, or under them in some cases, or by bounding off of tree trunks if the whim struck her. Lilly loved to run.

Before her alpha training, she would tire herself just by rushing up a hill. In the first months of her training, Hutch had pushed her to develop her strength and endurance until she could run for hours and leap higher than a caribou's horns, but getting there had hurt. She remembered dropping to the ground every evening, exhausted and sore after exertions that barely winded her mentor. After several grueling months, she had reached the necessary level of fitness to continue her training, and exalted in her newfound strength. Formerly daunting tasks she now looked on as exiting challenges. She could fly through the trees with more speed and freedom than she had ever known and a joyous confidence in her own physical abilities. It was a feeling so very different from her shame and embarrassment after her pitiful performance that night with Garth, when he had tried to teach her how to pounce… Drawing herself back to the present, Lilly ran faster.

As her muscles began to burn, she grit her teeth and pushed onward. _There is no excuse for failure. I don't care if you are tired, and neither do your enemies. You will always be tired. The question is, will you let it stop you?_ Lilly concentrated on keeping her stride powerful and precise as her pace grew harder and harder to maintain. _However close to exhaustion you may feel, however deep and painfully you must dig to find it, there is always just one more effort left in your muscles. The real obstacle is your mind, telling you to quit, that it hurts, that you must rest, losing focus and insisting that you must admit defeat. Your mind will always fail long before your body._ Lilly ran on, determined to see just how long she could keep this pace and how quickly she could reach the tracks.

Hours later, she was still running, but exhaustion was beginning wear away at her focus, making her clumsy. Around noon, Lilliy tripped full speed over a protruding tree root and tumbled head over tail down one side of the forested ridgeline she had been following. She rolled to a stop at the bottom and paused to get her bearings.

She was uninjured, thankfully, with the exception of a bruise on her paw. The slope was steep, but covered in leaves and mud. A shallow stream ran through the bottom of this shaded gully.

Lilly got heavily to her feet and took a drink from the stream before moving on, finally adopting a more reasonable jog through the trees. It would be best to avoid another such mishap, and in any case, she'd already been nearing the limit of her endurance. She had challenged herself, and was pleased with her performance.

About an hour later, Lilly reached the tracks Nevermore had promised. They ran west to east through the forest, with trees encroaching on both sides. Rather than wait for a train to pass, Lilly turned right and started east, following the rails. The sounds of the forest surrounded her. Periodically, she saw Nevermore's black winged form pass above her, but she was alone apart from this.

It was almost nighttime before the train came. The first sign of its approach was a distant rumble, barely audible. A few minutes later, the brutish locomotive barreled into view. Lilly spotted an open car about halfway towards the back and broke into a sprint as the first of the cars rushed past. She tossed her head to get her bangs out of her eyes and glanced over one shoulder to keep track of the open car. She leapt just before it passed her, threading the moving needle's eye of the door as she leapt into the open boxcar. The sudden acceleration onboard the train made Lilly stumbled as her paws hit the rough metal floor. Safely aboard, she settled sphinx like on the floor of the car, contentedly watching the shapes of the forest speed past in the fading daylight.

Without warning, a small black form hurtled trough the open car door and slammed into the far wall in a shower of feathers. Nevermore lay in a dazed heap, muttering to himself. "Two eyes, two eyes to fly, blast Nepenthe, still he sleeps, the sloth. Wake, Nepenthe! Let him keep our head, says Craven. Let him feel all but dead." Lilly, having sprung to her feet and now watching the bird with worry, saw his second eye open. "Bah, what have you three done to our head? Nepenthe's fault we all agree, no way to fly with but one eye, too hard to see, and that in day before the light had gone away! "

The raven got to his feet, talons clicking. By the time he stood and folded his wings, only his left eye remained open. "Then why did you not wake me before it was time to land? But no matter, they sleep now. They _would_ leave me with our aching head, the fools. Heads are not for landing on. They make poor excuse for feet and talons. But what of the white wolf? How fleet of paw, Night Flower. You make good time. Few land walkers are so swift."

"Thanks, I… guess I was in a hurry," Lilly said.

"You flee, Night Flower, but from what?"

"No, I'm… I'm not…" _Am I? _Lilly turned away and returned to her place by the open train car door. "I, ah, had a friend. But he…" she trailed off.

"You would sooner have no friend than not this one? Foolish," the raven croaked with a click of his beak.

"It's not as if I had any friends in Jasper anyway," Lilly muttered darkly.

"Ah, you come from Jasper?"

"Yeah. It… was my home." She sighed and rested her head on her paws.

The raven seemed amused by something. "And another's," he said. "But sleep, Night Flower. I shall watch this night."

Once again trusting Nevermore's honesty and intentions, Lilly eventually fell into a tired sleep as the train rumbled on.

* * *

Lilly woke again at dawn to find the train still moving. The forest outside looked exactly as it had before. She sat up and stretched.

Beside her, Nevermore was humming softly to himself to pass the time.

Glancing in her direction, he said, "I must find food. This train will continue east. At Edmonton, stay aboard. I will return by evening." Without another word, he took flight and soared off.

Lilly stared out after him, resigned to a long and boring day.

About an hour past noon, she felt the train beginning to slow. It continued to decelerate until it inched along at sluggish pace. The trees suddenly ended and Lilly found herself in a noisy switching yard with numerous other trains and a number of humans moving about attending to them.

She shrank back into the shadows, retreating to a corner of the empty car. _Humans may be fragile, but they are far from helpless. Keep your distance, and stay out of sight when you can. _There were many humans here, and she had no intention of revealing her presence when they so clearly controlled this territory.

At last the train ground creaking and screeching to a stop. Through her narrow view out the open door, Lilly could see two human workers approaching. She couldn't understand their speech, but they sounded irritated.

"Those idiots in Hinton did it again," one said.

"Yeah, how hard is it to close a door?" the other agreed. "That reg got changed months ago and they still keep leavin 'em open."

"Idiots'll get us all fired. Let's go make sure its empty, and then we can get that door shut."

Lilly backed farther into the corner. The two unsuspecting humans climbed lazily into the train car. One turned to the latch on the door, but the other froze, staring straight at Lilly. "Hey, uh, Eddie?" he said, moving backward towards the door.

_If you find yourself trapped, never show weakness. _Lilly bared her fangs growled. She took a threatening step forward.

The second human spun around, and immediately leapt from the car. The first backpedalled frantically and fell awkwardly after him. Then, before Lilly realized what was happening, the door to the train car slammed shut. Outside, she could hear the agitated voices of her captors.

"That's a wolf! There's a wolf on that train!"

"That's no wolf, it was white, had to be a husky."

"No, I'm tellin' you the thing's paws were huge! That's a wolf!"

"Ok, fine, but what the heck do we do? I'll go find the boss, he'll know."

"No, no, man we can make a buck off this. There's a bunch 'eh guys in town who run this dog fighting thing down in Devon. You have any idea what they'd pay for a dog this cool? That's an albino wolf in there!"

"You have any idea the crap we could get in for that? If we get caught for dog fightin'—"

"Eddie, shut up. Stay here while I go get my truck. I got a cargo net we can use. You get around back and get ready to open up that back door so nobody sees anything. Hurry up, this train'll be leavin' again any minute."

Lilly waited apprehensively as the sounds of both sets of human footsteps faded away in different directions. A few minutes later, she heard someone fiddling with the other door to the train car. She let out a warning growl, and the sound stopped.

Shortly after, the crunch of wheels on gravel heralded the arrival of the truck, though Lilly had no way of recognizing the unnatural sound.

"You ready with that door? Good, take the corner 'eh this and spread it out. Soon as I open the door, we'll get it in this and then I'll hit 'im with this to shut 'em up. Ready, now!"

Suddenly, the door opened and sunlight streamed in. Without waiting to give the humans another chance to rush in and attack her, Lilly leapt through the opening intent on out running the humans and escaping into the forest. Before she even hit the ground however, she found herself entangled in a strange corded webbing that wrapped around her body and entangled her claws and teeth. She growled and thrashed wildly, trying to free herself, but couldn't find a way out of this human thing trapping her.

"Quick, before it gets loose or somebody hears!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lilly saw one of the humans raise some kind of club with both hands, then felt a sharp pain in her skull, and blackness.

* * *

Lilly woke still kicking. Her eyes snapped open and she sprang to her feet unhampered, fangs bared and snarling, but even as she stood the world spun violently around her as the ground rushed up to meet her from her other side. Straw covered the floor. Underneath it was a chain link mesh spread over packed earth.

Lilly planted her paws firmly against the ground and stood again, this time more carefully with her feet spread wide for balance. Her head hurt, badly. The world continued to spin, but more slowly now. The pain in her head was excruciating. Lilly did her best to focus through it and figure out where she was.

Her immediate surroundings formed a cube about twice as wide as she was long. Three of the walls were wood, while one was a hinged door made from metal bars. Over head was a ceiling made from chain link fence that prevented her from jumping out of the little cell to freedom. Beneath her paws she could feel the same kind of wire mesh as had been used for the ceiling, presumably put there to prevent her digging out through the packed earth underneath. Over this had been spread a judicious amount of barnyard straw. From what she could see out of the top of her cell and the front, the rest of the place was a wooden human building. Had she been more familiar with human structures, Lilly might have recognized it as a barn, and her cell as a modified horse stable.

The sound of another voice startled her. "Whoo! Sleepin' beauty's awake! How's the head darlin'?" Lilly winced at the noise.

In an identical cell immediately opposite hers lay an American bulldog lounging casually on his side and eyeing her with a smile. His fur was mostly a dirty white except for a single black spot over the left side of his face that gave the appearance of a permanent black eye. His face was crisscrossed with the scars of innumerable fights, as was the rest of his body, and his ears were completely gone. Only a few tattered shreds on the top of his head remained.

"Who are you?" Lilly asked cautiously.

"Name's Southpaw, star contender from the States, if I do say so myself. Welcome to Fight Club, Lassie."

"Fight Club?"

"He he. You have no idea what you're in for, do ye' missy?"

"Well…no."

"In that case, I shall explain. You were most likely kidnapped from you're happy wild home in the Canadian wilderness by humans who brought you here. You will be starved until that pretty little temper of yours shines through, at which point you will fight, possibly to the death, for the sick entertainment of our most gracious hosts. If you win, you get food, if not, you'll probably die."

Lilly's heart sank. She lay down on her stomach and cradled her aching head in her paws. _Crap. _She had to find a way out of here.

Southpaw kept talking, seemingly unconcerned as to whether she was listening. "Me, I was livin' large on the big streets in New York City till the dog catchers nabbed me tryin' to rip off a hot dog vendor. The crazy lady beat me over the head with a grammar textbook and then sat on me till the pigs showed up. Crazy old bat… Why the heck did an old lady sellin' hotdogs have a grammar textbook anyway?"** [FootNote]**

Lilly had no idea what he was talking about. She forced her eyes open to see him lying on his back now with all four paws in the air and gesturing animatedly as he narrated.

"So, anywho, I ended up at the pound on death row waitin' to be put down when out of the blue these wonderful compassionate human beings stopped by to adopt me. They got me into fightin' and pretty quick I was the best, so here I am. H' 'bout you, Lassie? What's your story?"

Oh, what could it hurt? It wasn't like there was anything else to do besides talk. "I used to live in Jasper Park," she said. "I left a few days ago and got on a train going east. I was captured by humans when the train stopped. They were the ones who knocked me out."

"Oooh, a lone wolf. Tell me more; I'm intrigued. Why'd ye' leave? Betrayal? Family fued? Kill somebody? Unrequited love? Or maybe a quest for vengeance…"

"There used to be two packs. There weren't enough caribou, and they were about to go to war."

"A war story!" the bulldog rolled onto his belly and put his nose trough the bars of his cell door, giving her his complete attention. If he'd had anything left of his ears, they would have been pricked forward attentively.

"My sister was supposed to marry this wolf from the other pack to join the two and stop the war, but she got kidnapped by humans. While she was gone, I offered to show him around, and…"

Southpaw frowned. "This is sounding less and less like a war story."

Lilly ignored him. "Well, we got close. When she came back, and they were still supposed to get married…"

"Aw, crap it's a love story after all. Unrequited love. The only uninteresting option on that list. Lemme guess, siss barges in and steals your new crush, you decide your life is over and go rushin' off into the wide blue yonder to seek you fortune alone, am I right?"

Lilly scowled.

"Wait a sec," Southpaw said thoughtfully. "If she was your sister, how come you didn't just marry this other stud yourself? If the whole thing was political anyway, wouldn't either sister do?"

"I was an omega. He was an alpha. Alphas and omegas can't mate. It's against pack law."

"Oh. That sucks."

"You think?" Lilly snapped bitterly.

The bulldog rolled back onto his side again with a chuckle. "Kids these days. Can't live without a lover. Every little breakup, they think the world must surely end. Personally, I think romance is more trouble than it's worth."

Without warning, he burst into song, pouring out his soul in heartfelt music. Actually, except for the way his voice cracked on some of the long notes, his singing wasn't half bad, despite strange song he sang. **[****FootNote]**

"_If tomorrow all the things were bad_

_That I'd loved all my life,_

_And I had to act all civilized,_

_Because now I had a wife,_

_"_

_I'd thank my lucky stars,_

_That it was just a dream,_

'_Cuase this bachelor's got his freedom,_

_And they won't take that from me!_

_"_

_And I'm proud to be a bachelor!_

'_Cause at least I know I'm free._

_And I won't forget, my friends who died,_

_Those poor old married guys!_

_"_

_Oh brother stand up! High tail, and_

_Say no vows today!_

'_Cuase there aint no doubt, you'll rue the day,_

_Go throw that ring away!_

_"_

_Oh there's girls from Minnesota,_

_Females in Tennessee,_

'_Dem drawlin' gals from Texas,_

_And sirens from the sea,_

_"_

_From Detroit down to Houston,_

_And New York to L.A.,_

_The women prey on the bachelor's heart,_

_They lure 'em in and say,_

_"_

_Baby, won't you marry me?_

_Hell no, bitch! Not me!_

_I'm proud to be a bachelor!_

_You can't take that from me!_

_"_

_And I turn and stand up!_

_And haul ass! I'll say no vows today!_

'_Cause I'll never be a married man,_

_Hear me when I say,_

_"_

_That I'm proud to be a bachelor!_

'_Cause at least I know I'm free!_

_I won't forget, my friends who died,_

_Those poor old married guys,_

_"_

_Oh brother stand up!_

_Stay free! Say no vows today!_

_I'm a lone dog till the day I die!_

_God bless the bachelor way!"_

_"_

As the last note faded, Lilly sat pondering. She really had no idea what to say to that. She might have been even more shocked had she recognized the tune, but never having witnessed an American Fourth of July celebration, this detail was lost on her.

She was saved from having to comment by the arrival of a newcomer. A calico she cat strode daintily into view and paused between the two cells. "For heaven sake, South, you'll wake the dead. And most of them would be quite keen for a rematch so perhaps you had better keep it down."

"Aw, come off it Maddie. You love the sweet sound 'eh my voice."

"I admit you add a note of hilarity to my day at times, but you do tend to irritate me when that wretchedly unmusical note interrupts my nap."

"Bah. You're just jealous because the only noise you ever make sounds like a banshee gettin' poked in the eye."

"Tut, tut," the she cat said. "That's no way to speak to a lady. I'm disappointed in you, South. Didn't you're mother ever teach you manners?"

"Did you hear the first lines 'eh that song? Quit tryin' to act like an aristocat. You're no lady; I've seen what you do to mice. Besides, ye' ain't the only lady in the house today. Check out the new girl."

The cat, Maddie, turned to study Lilly, eyed her for a moment, then turned dismissively and leapt onto one of the wooden walls of Southpaw's cell, where she settled lazily. "A complete neophyte by the looks of her. Unless wolves are made of sterner stuff than you dogs, she won't last long."

Lilly watch the cat with contempt. _Never judge an enemy by appearances. You of all wolves should understand that. _

Maddie turned her attention to the bulldog once more. She dangled her tail a few inches through the mesh over Southpaw's cage and left it there, as if fishing.

The bulldog sat up and watched the dangling tail tip carefully. After a moment, he leapt upward, trying to catch it, but Maddie pulled her tail back to safety an instant before his jaws snapped shut so that he only succeeded in smashing his face into the wire mesh. It must have been painful, but he didn't seem to notice.

Maddie was unimpressed. "Slow today, South. Try again." She dangled her tail once more and serenely addressed Lilly. "So, Lone Wolf, what brings _you_ here?"

Southpaw answered for her. "Standard story, striking out alone after a bad breakup." Southpaw leapt, and missed a second time, crashing noisily into the mesh over his cell.

Maddie barely acknowledged this. "How enrapturing. Well, little miss love sick had better have quite a game face or I don't see how she'll live very long."

Lilly growled. "I can take care of myself cat. I've eaten things bigger than you for a snack."

Maddie's eyes glinted coldly, and a faint smile crossed her lips. "Really? How truly savage and ferocious of you. Rabbits and squirrels must _quiver_ with fear at the very sound of your name. But from where I'm sitting, you're the one in a cage, while I am free to do as I please. Besides, I really don't see as I have anything to fear from you barking, bumbling, d—_MROW!"_

Without warning, the calico she cat was yanked violently sideways rump first as her tail was pulled downward through the wire mesh of Southpaw's cage. The bulldog fell back to earth holding a clump of fur that tore free from the end of Maddie's tail when her hind quarters hit the wire mesh, stopping her.

She immediately sprang away and stopped on the wall of the next cell over, barely within Lilly's field of view, and sat with her tail wrapped around her as she daintily examined one paw. Then, ignoring them both as if nothing had happened, she leapt lightly to the ground and strode regally away, albeit with her tail held protectively close to her body.

Southpaw spat out his clump of fur and sent a derisive bark of victory after her. Then he smiled and burst out laughing. "Bah, don't mind Maddie," he said, turning back to Lilly. "She grows on ye' after a month or two."

"If I live that long, you mean?" Lilly retorted dryly.

The bulldog grinned. "Now yer catchin' on!"

Lilly rose with an exasperated sigh and stood, taking another look around the small space of her enclosure. Mentally, she ran through everything she had learned and tried to size up her situation. She had a new objective: Escape.

If she was forced to fight, she had confidence that her training would be enough to get her through, but she didn't like the idea. _Never get in a fair fight if you can help it. A fair fight is a good way to get killed._ Never mind that she was horrified to begin with at the idea of killing another creature who was merely in the in the same position as she was.

She wondered briefly what Nevermore was doing. He must think she had run off and left him. The thought hurt, but she put it out of her mind. She couldn't worry about that now. She had to get herself out of here first.

But, looking around her cell, she could find no apparent weak point, no means of escape. She kept searching and thinking. She had to find a way out. There had to be a way out…

"

"

"

* * *

**Frist Footnote: **

-This is a reference to my eighth grade "English" [research projects and public presentation] teacher, one of the best teachers I've ever had. Mrs. K never had children of her own, but she taught us for more than forty years, gaining infamy as she went. Her famous dream retirement occupation is to own a hotdog stand. She retired this year. We're all waiting with baited breath to see if she actually does it. [Technically, she might still have a few more months of unused paid leave left…maybe a year…] I have no idea how she would react to getting mugged by a random stray, but after so many years of teaching "creative problem solving" to the lot of us, I'm sure she'd think of something. This shout out doesn't do her justice. If she beta read my work, it'd bleed like a river… We love you, Mrs. Kurinec.

"Wait a minute, I'm not an English teacher… I don't have to care anymore! Here's your, like, hotdog, and stuff!" –From an impromptu skit in her honor.

"We need the tech people! Start the summoning dance!" –From the same skit.

**Second Footnote: **

-This is a direct parody of "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. Honestly, it felt kind of sacrilegious to even write this, but it was too dang funny to pass up. The idea was actually about four years old, and I finally decided t finish it.

**AN**: To all you readers- If all goes according to plan, the next chapter will contain: Combat, sarcasm, arson, and Humphrey. Timeframe? Who knows…


End file.
